Analysis of the impact of road noise on urban green spaces: a case study of the dendrological garden in Poznań, Poland

Abstract

Green parks and gardens in urban areas are an essential part of ecosystem services for inhabitants, especially in cities where people are affected by road noise. These problems have been the subject of many studies worldwide. Such works have been carried out at many levels—both in the contexts of spatial planning and ecological analyses. In relation to this, the design of noise maps and related spatial modelling is significant. The paper presents the results of a survey of the acoustic environment in the Dendrological Garden in Poznań—the fifth largest city in Poland—which is a vital part of the city’s green zone. The analysis of the noise distribution across the park’s zones was carried out at frequent intervals using sound-level surveys during 2014 and 2020. Moreover, acoustic maps developed for Poznań in 2012 and 2017 were compared with these recent studies. The changes (gain or loss) in those areas with a particular noise level are based on the area variability index.